There’s no place where this principle applies more strongly than your living room, which is the center of your home and which can get very messy very fast. Designing with simplicity and versatility in mind gives you freedom to create a cozy and inviting living room that stays beautiful and comfortable year-round.
Set A Budget
Before you do anything, set aside a certain amount of money you can comfortably afford, and plan your purchases – including labor if using contractors – so that you don’t go over that budget. Don’t let your beautiful new living room become a stressor because you went over budget.
Plan for Your Purposes
Don’t just copy living room designs you see in magazines. Consider how your family uses the living room. Do you need a play area for small children? Elegant conversational seating before the fireplace? Do you need your seating to be centered around your TV and other electronics?
Maybe you need a little office corner. And if you have pets, you have to take their needs and the messes they can create into consideration. Plan what will live where in your room, and you’ll have an easier time picking furniture and contemporary living room decor that suits your needs.
Utilize the Walls
After painting or covering the walls with a timeless neutral color palette and perhaps some subtle textures, consider how you can use them to maximize space and control clutter. A great maxim among professional organizers is that you should never store anything on the floor.
Stuff on the floor, such as toys, electronics, shoes and backpacks, has a way of creeping outward, making any room look cluttered. Consider adding modular cabinetry and floating shelves to get things off the floor and out of view until needed. Keep in mind: if it’s worth keeping, it’s worth putting away.
Revolutionize Your Interior Wall with Paint Color and Style
Deciding, selecting, and painting your interior room can be both an exciting and daunting task. With countless options and techniques available, it’s essential to have a comprehensive guide to walk you through the process.
Define Floor Spaces
Area rugs on hard floor surfaces go a long way toward making your living room look cozy and inviting; they create a soft, warm surface and bring in color. Don’t just go crazy flinging rugs around, though.
Measure, and choose rugs that fit the space. You can use two or three small rugs to divide up the space, or use one large rug to cover most of the floor area.
Integrate Technology
If you’re doing a complete living room remodel, now is the time to consider how you can provide your family with plenty of electrical outlets. Something is always charging, and we use many wifi-powered devices that always have to be plugged in.
When you plan your space, think about where new outlets can be most serviceable and least obtrusive. You might even be able to choose furniture with built-in outlets and USB ports.
Work With Your Personal Style
Trends come and go, and you may find it necessary to live with this room design for many years. What looks good in someone else’s home may not work in yours.
You may prefer sleek, clean lines; maybe you like a more traditional look; perhaps you want something formal for entertaining; or maybe you want something a little funky. Consider your personal style before spending a penny.
Choose Multi-functional Furniture
One way modern designers are helping families to keep small items from creating clutter is to use multi-functional furniture. You can choose adjustable modern seating with speakers and storage built in.
Your coffee table can be a trunk or chest so you can store blankets and things, and some storage coffee tables include drawers for remotes, eyeglasses and so on. Choose small storage ottomans for game controllers. Multi-functional furniture is a tremendous help in getting the most out of even the smallest living room.
Use Lighting for Effect
In many older homes, living rooms were designed without overhead lighting. Even when you do have overhead lighting, sometimes you want a softer, more subdued mood, and you can use lighting to create that effect.
Consider where you need bright light for reading, where lamps can create glare on TV screens, where a cleverly placed, funky lamp can be a conversation piece, or a low-key design can accentuate other design elements without overwhelming.
Home Lighting Design: Enhancing Your Space
Explore the ins and outs of architectural home lighting design, a crucial aspect that marries functionality with aesthetics to transform any space.
Choose Decorative Elements Carefully
Even the most beautiful decor items, when crammed together on every visible surface, can make a room look cluttered instead of cozy.
Carefully choose like picture frames, candle holders, vases and artificial plants and flowers so that a few pieces make a powerful visual impact. Curate your living room decor so that every item in the room has meaning, but isn’t overwhelming.
Create a Theme With Artwork
When designing a room, artwork is important. Whether you can afford originals by significant artists or you’re choosing inexpensive prints to set a mood, a mish-mash of artwork can be jarring to the eye. Consider the size, shape, colors and materials of artwork.
For example, do you like landscapes, portraits, nautical themes, florals, still lifes or abstract designs? Do you like warm or cool colors? Subdued or bright? Your artwork need not be homogenous, but several pieces in a room should follow a general theme. Also, choose your frames so they coordinate not only with the theme of your artwork, but also with the rest of the room.
Treat Your Windows
Are you the kind of person who’s willing to seasonally change out and dry-clean drapes, or would simple, beautifully designed, easy-to-clean shades suit your lifestyle better? Maybe you want to use blinds, which come in a dazzling array of styles, to control light.
If your room has large windows or is on the side of the house that gets sunlight most of the day, consider window treatments that mute the glare. On the other hand, if your room tends to be dimly lit throughout the day, lighter, brighter window treatments might be a better fit. If privacy is not a concern, you might even opt for bare windows.
Your Family’s Needs Are Paramount
With all these ideas in mind, before choosing a single thing, sit down with your family and get their ideas. Finding out what everyone who uses the living room needs can give you many exciting ideas you hadn’t thought of, and the result is that everyone can be happy.
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Image credit: inviting living room by envato.com
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